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RES -2020 - 064 W 0 40 <br /> ` <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> l - �7 <br /> RESOLUTION HONORING AND REMEMBERING <br /> REVEREND ROBERT E . SEYMOUR <br /> WHEREAS , Reverend Robert " Bob " Seymour , a community leader , activist , pastor , advocate for aging <br /> services , servant to those less fortunate and a resident leading the way for diversity , equity and <br /> inclusion in our community , passed away on October 11 , 2020 at the age of 95 ; and <br /> WHEREAS , Reverend Seymour was known for his life of service to the people of Orange County ; and <br /> WHEREAS , Reverend Seymour was born in Greenwood , South Carolina , completed his <br /> undergraduate degree at Duke University , a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School and a Ph . D . <br /> from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland ; and <br /> WHEREAS , Reverend Seymour and his wife , Pearl , came to Chapel Hill in 1959 where he served as <br /> the first pastor of the Olin T . Binkley Memorial Baptist Church , which under his guidance became a <br /> church committed to social justice and inclusion , and with Bob as a champion for social justice , Binkley <br /> Church was one of the first interracial congregations in NC that challenged racial segregation ; and <br /> WHEREAS , Reverend Seymour was compassionate and an advocate for those less fortunate in our <br /> community , and from that passion helped organize the Inter- Faith Council for Social Service in 1963 <br /> and served as its first president ; and <br /> WHEREAS , Reverend Seymour was an advocate for affordable housing , serving an instrumental role <br /> in helping start Orange County Habitat for Humanity , and in honor of his service , the first building in <br /> the Crescent Magnolia senior community was named the Beloved Community in honor of him and his <br /> life ' s work of pursuing justice and fairness in Orange County ; and <br /> WHEREAS , as Reverend Seymour was entering his retirement with 30 years of service at Binkley , he <br /> was appointed to the Orange County Advisory Board on Aging , and quickly became an advocate for <br /> aging services , serving on the Orange County Task Force for Senior Needs in Southern Orange <br /> County and becoming the guiding force in the inception , planning and design of a new senior center ; <br /> and <br /> WHEREAS , in 2005 the Orange County Board of County Commissioners voted to name the new <br /> senior facility on Homestead Road in Chapel Hill the " Robert and Pearl Seymour Center" in honor of <br /> the Seymours for their dedication and commitment to serving the older adults in Orange County ; and <br /> WHEREAS , in his retirement years Bob continued to be a prolific writer , including publishing Aging <br /> Without Apology: Living the Senior Years with Integrity and Faith and "Whites Only" A Pastor's <br /> Retrospective on Signs of the New South; and <br /> WHEREAS , Bob ' s love for people , his boldness , generosity , and compassion for others will be greatly <br /> missed ; <br /> NOW , THEREFORE , we , the Orange County Board of Commissioners , on behalf of the residents of <br /> Orange County , express our deep appreciation , gratitude and respect for the services rendered by <br /> Reverend Robert E . Seymour to the County and beyond over e urse of his lifetime nd honor him <br /> for his service . <br /> This the 20th day of October , 2020 . <br /> 17 � ' S� I <br /> y air an e C unt Board of Commissioners <br /> tee 01 9 Y <br /> t �1 )Tiral�"� <br />